PORTLAND, OR — (Marketwire) — 02/24/12 — , a provider of social commerce software, today is announcing the availability of its enterprise-scale commerce platform. The social commerce suite includes tools and back-end integration to effectively execute integrated commerce campaigns that address the needs of the social and always on customer.
The past year has seen a significant shift in the way consumers discover, buy and share products online. Research shows that today-s customers are highly savvy when it comes to engaging with brands, particularly on Facebook. In , 67% of consumers “like” a brand on Facebook because they want rewards and deals, and 79% use social media to take advantage of special offers and discounts. Social customers expect products and promotions from the brands they engage with.
This creates a challenge for brands and retailers, who have been historically focused on conversation and content through social channels. Now, they are looking for more commerce-centric programs designed with products and promotion in mind. Brands must be able to create, manage and measure social commerce programs like VIP-only stores, product launches, curated product collections and storefronts in a repeatable, always-running environment.
What has been missing to date is a complete solution that serves these evolving needs. ShopIgniter-s new social commerce platform is the first solution to deliver an of engaging commerce experiences, including Group Gifting and Facebook seamless purchase, wrapped in a technology infrastructure that offers full integration with existing retail software systems and the rigorous security requirements of businesses. Retailers including Levi-s, Target, Nike Golf, Kaenon and others have sophisticated technology requirements for their commerce operations, particularly PCI Level 1 certification.
PCI (Payment Card Industry) Level 1 certification is a key requirement for merchants who process high volumes of credit card transactions. With its recent Level 1 certification, ShopIgniter is one of the only social commerce platform providers authorized to meet the security needs of large retailers and brands.
According to of 2,000 Interactive users, security is still a concern for shoppers on social networks and retailers planning to do business via the social network must do more to tackle them. Over half (55%) the users surveyed said they were “not comfortable” sharing their credit card information via the likes of Facebook. Ensuring their social commerce vendor has PCI Level 1 certification helps businesses allay the concerns of customers with a verified secure platform.
“Customers expect, and brands demand, the same level of security and confidence when buying through social channels as they do on their eCommerce stores,” says Matt Compton, CEO of ShopIgniter. “By adding PCI Level 1 certification to our Social Commerce Platform, we-re proud to offer brands and retailers the most complete social commerce offering on the market, with peace of mind that their transactions and data are completely secure.”
One of the highlights of the new platform is its ability to create group-gifting experiences in Facebook. This is an easy way for several friends to chip-in on collective gifts — such as a classroom “thank you” to a teacher or coach, or a birthday or shower gift from office colleagues. The system uses Facebook-s built-in friend lists and messages to coordinate a unique, social purchasing flow — and then processes multiple contributions for a single transaction.
This “Give with Friends” shows a live group-gifting program powered by ShopIgniter. This is an exciting example because not only does it create an inherently social buying experience, but also the Group Gift Cards can drive foot traffic into their stores, or online shoppers to their existing eCommerce sites. Gift recipients benefit from their Friends- collective activity and the retailer benefits from additional visibility, redemption and ease of delivery.
“Group gifting is a good example of an inherently social buying experience,” says Kevin Tate, CMO, ShopIgniter. “We have learned a lot from our customers about what works best in social commerce, one of them being: customers in a social environment expect and respond to engaging, authentic and effective experiences, such as the ability to simplify the gift-giving experience.”
In order to bring commerce to their existing social conversations, brands need the ability to create a wide range of engaging social commerce experiences for their customers. ShopIgniter-s platform allows clients to create highly customized versions of programs that social customers respond to best, such as:
New product launches
Group gifting and purchase
Special offers for VIPs
Flash and private sales
Seasonal and holiday collections
By giving brands a repeatable and cost-effective toolkit, ShopIgniter allows clients to align their social conversation and commerce campaigns for increased revenue and loyalty.
ShopIgniter is the for large retailers, brands and agencies who are inspiring consumers to discover, buy and share their products. We help companies easily create, manage and measure integrated social commerce programs that move beyond brand engagement to deliver remarkable product promotions and purchase experiences.
ShopIgniter-s programs include a variety of social commerce experiences and campaigns such as Exclusive Offers, VIP Collections, Storefronts and Flash Sales. We integrate fully with existing e-commerce platforms, and we power social commerce for over 40 leading brands such as Target, Levi-s, Nike Golf, Kaenon, Steven Alan, Omaha Steaks and CafePress. Founded in 2009, ShopIgniter is headquartered in Portland, OR.
Keep up with ShopIgniter:
Media contacts:
Jessica Davis and Vanessa Camones
theMIX agency for ShopIgniter
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